1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fishing line guides and more specifically to a universal guide foot capable of conforming to round or polygonal fishing rods.
2. Prior Art
As with any mechanical device, the performance of a fishing rod is directly impacted by the cooperation of its elements. Loose or badly fitting line guides contribute to friction between the line and the guide, resulting in impeded action and snarled lines. Because line guides are usually hand-wrapped to the rod, the quality of the guide itself dictates the effort and attention necessary for attachment. Furthermore, a poorly fitting guide requires use of significant amounts of epoxy to be used in the attachment process, not only adding extraneous weight to the rod, but also upsetting an otherwise smooth mass distribution along the rod axis. All of these factors are a significant impediment to optimal performance.
Many of these difficulties are a consequence of both guide design and poor quality control during the manufacturing process. For example, prior art guide feet are stamped flat. This is not a problem for hexagonal rods. However, for round rods, an unnecessary pivot line along the foot-rod interface is introduced, resulting in an undesirable instability along the lateral dimension of attachment area. In addition, the top outside edges of a flat guide foot are sharp and will damage threads used in the wrapping process, leading to fraying and eventual breakage.
The lateral profile of a prior art guide foot exhibits steep angles from the toe of the foot to the interface with the line guide wire, leaving gaps between the rod surface and the underside of the foot. This necessitates an extensive use of epoxy, adding more overall weight as well as introducing discontinuities in the weight distribution of the rod. The resultant effect is a dampening of motion in even the best-designed rods.
Guide feet misalignment is a problem in the upper section of a rod due to the limited space available for wrapping.
The toe of a prior art guide foot is generally tapered on a grinding wheel. This practice leads not only to inconsistency between different guides of the same size, but also to different feet of the same guide. Furthermore, grinding also introduces sharp 10 points at the tip of the foot. When the rod is flexed during casting, the rod shank bends smoothly along its length while the guide feet remain rigid. The wrapping fibers covering the toe of the guide foot are thus confined by a slight arch on the underside of the rod yet must remain rigidly linear on the topside of the guide foot. This uneven stress results in fraying and breakage of the wrapping fibers and eventually compromises the integrity of the rod blank.
Consequently, a line guide capable of conforming to the shape of either a round or polygonal fishing rod is desirable. A line guide having a smooth profile from any point on the guide to any point on the rod-guide interface is furthermore desirable. In addition, there is a long felt need for a precision manufactured guide to alleviate many of the difficulties, limitations and detriments associated with wrapping.